AN: This is a weird fanfic. I'm just experimenting with the characters of One Piece, so don't expect too much. Most likely won't have any more chapters, but I might make another if I get positive feedback (unlikely). No yaoi. As of yet, no pairings, though I might add a dash of LuNa or ZoRo later on for seasoning.
Erm, slight AU, takes place after Thriller Bark. Minor spoilers. I don't own One Piece.
Strong Card
Having recently encountered Bartholomew Kuma, Luffy and company were all exhausted and currently resting on the Thousand Sunny. Sanji was taking a break from cooking and flirting, just relaxing in the kitchen. Brook was mindlessly tuning his violin. Usopp and Chopper were immersed in a game of cards, while Robin read nearby. Nami sorted out her maps, checking that the Sunny was going the right direction every once in a while. Zoro, unsurprisingly, was napping. Franky was doing a few minor ship repairs.
The captain, however, was nowhere to be found. The crew was feeling rather lazy that day, and they simply assumed Luffy was bugging Sanji about food, or sitting on the figurehead. However, no one assumed that he was in the crow's nest, working his ass off.
Luffy's 'special moves' were Gear Two and Three, and they were supposed to increase his strength by, well, a lot. Luffy noticed in the past few battles of his, the two Gears where not usually enough to finish off an enemy. Thus, the genius had come to the brilliant conclusion that he needed a new technique.
The boy was practicing a few new moves, such as 'Gomu Gomu no Trampoline' and 'Gomu Gomu no Skyscraper", when he sat down and thought very, very hard.
"What move would defeat any enemy, no matter how strong?" Luffy thought.
Hmm...rubber was bouncy, wasn't it? And Luffy was rubber, therefore Luffy was bouncy! Luffy quickly praised himself for being so brilliant, then figured if he could deflect an opponent's attack back at them, the enemy would die!
Oh, but Luffy's brilliance was suddenly shot down, for the attack would be absorbed by the boy before it could be bounced back. That's a problem. Plus, the only things that ever bounced back before were bullets, and the occasional cannon ball. An attack from a devil fruit wouldn't work the same way, especially a Logia type. Besides, the bouncing back thing was practically the same as an Impact Dial, and Usopp had one of those, no need for a human one.
Wait.
An Impact Dial! Luffy didn't completely understand the mechanics around it, but he knew the basics. The dial absorbed a punch or a kick or something, then regected it back to the attacker. If Luffy could somehow do just that, and make it work on devil fruit powers, he would be unstoppable!
Or at least, that's how it played out in Luffy's mind.
Now, Luffy wasn't exactly sure how this would work, but he had done too much thinking that day already, so he decided to have a little snack.
"Sanji! Food! Food food food!" Luffy screamed, sprinting into the kitchen. Two bumps on the head from Sanji and Nami later, Luffy was gobbling up five plates of meat. (He wasn't feeling as hungry as usual.) On the deck, Usopp and Chopper had finished up their card game and where getting ready to fish.
"Oi, Luffy! Come fish with us!" Usopp shouted.
"Eh? Oh, sure!" Luffy gleefully cried, flashing his toothy grin. And so, the three sat on the railing, attempting to fish, while Usopp told of the time he killed 82 sea kings using a pair of safety scissors.
Meanwhile, Nami saw the newspaper bird flying towards the ship. Deciding that she hadn't been kept up to date with modern events, Nami forked over the beli and bought a newspaper. As soon as she started reading, two thoughts ran through her head. The first being, "Ace is getting executed? In two weeks!?!", and the second, "Luffy is going to commit suicide and try to save him, isn't he?".
But alas, Nami was a kind person and ushered Luffy over to her seat.
"Luffy, look at the paper." He did as told, and Nami watched a frown formed on the optimistic captain's face. "Luffy...?" She asked nervously.
"Robin!" Luffy shouted suddenly. Robin looked up and frowned at the boy's expression. "Yes, captain-san?"
"Where would the Marines keep a pirate locked up?"
"Well, I suppose someone with a high bounty would be kept at the gaol, Impel Down."
"And how long would it take us to get there, Nami?" Luffy turned to the red-head, who answered:
"A while. Around two weeks, if we take the long route. The quickest way is to use the whirlpool connecting the Gates of Justice, in which case would take 8 days, I think."
"Right, then we'll do that."
"The Gates don't open for pirates," Nami half-heartedly argued. She knew she wouldn't change her captain's mind.
"We'll figure that out once we get there." Luffy said, determined. He turned to his nakama.
"Yosh! We're changing course; men, full speed to Impel Down!" The crew smiled at having something to do, then got to work following Nami's orders.Luffy helped Zoro with the sail as he looked out to the sea.
"I'm coming to save you, Ace!"
Very cliché ending, right? Oh, well. Don't try to figure out Luffy's reasoning—you will fail. Ha, ha. It's probably really short, but I'll get more into it if I make another chapter.
Oh, about the Amazon Lily arc, I'm probably skipping it. Boa Hancock might make an appearance, though.